Diazotype printing and developing apparatus including automatic paper reroll



Dec. 8, 1964 Filed Dec.

E. DIAZOTYPE PRINT G. MASTROIANNI ING AND DEVELOPING APPARATUS INCLUDING AUTOMATIC PAPER REROLL 2 Sheets-Sheet l I/VVE/v T02 514/1 /0 6 M4 5720/4 MW M MW BY WM ATTORNEYS Dec. 8, 1964 Filed Dec. 11, 1961 E. G. MASTROIANNI DIAZOTYPE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING APPARATUS INCLUDING AUTOMATIC PAPER REROLL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN T08 EM L I0 6'. MASTBOIA NN I ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent DIAZOTYPE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING APPARATUS INCLUDING AUTOMATIC PA- PER REROLL Emilio G. Mastroianni, Endicott, N.Y., assignor to General Aniline & Film Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 158,282 2 'Claims. (Cl. 95-75) This invention relates to diazotype printing and developing apparatus and more particularly to improvements in such apparatus for the automatic handling and particularly rerolling of the original tracing from which duplicate copies are made.

Diazotype machines are Widely employed in industry for making exact duplicates of translucent originals, such as drawings or letters, and they deliver a positive photocopy which can immediately be used without further processing or drying. For this reason, these machines are generally termed dry printing and developing machines, known by the trade name Ozalid to distinguish them from other types where the exposed material is liquid developed and thereafter must be dried before it can be used.

The Ozalid type machines have generally three functional component assemblies combined into one operating unit. In the first assembly, designated as the printer, the sensitized material, in contact with an original, is exposed to high intensity light. In the second assembly, known as the separator conveyor unit, the exposed sensitized material is separated from the original and conveyed to the developer while the original is delivered to a suitable receiving tray. The third assembly is the developer where the exposed sensitized material is subjected to the vapors of a volatile developing agent, such as aqueous ammonia, and thereafter delivered by the conveyor into a print or delivery receptacle.

In delivering the original to a suitable receiving tray, major problems have been encountered in proper handling of large size original tracings after they have passed through the printing section of the machine and been separated from the copy. It is the primary object of this invention to provide an automatic means for rerolling an original used in an Ozalid type machine to eliminate the handling of the original by the operator and to eliminate accidental folding of the original as it is fed into the receiving tray.

A particular feature of this invention is that a large size original tracing or the like may be automatically handled in the receiving tray and rolled into a suitable roll by means of a pair of continuously driven rollers. The entire automatic paper reroll system is disposed in the receiving tray and is extremely simple in construc tion and can be accommodated in existing installations by slight modifications.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following description of the invention, pointed out in particularity in the appended claims and taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation in a side sectional elevation view of a diazotype printing apparatus constructed to include automatic means for rerolling the original tracing or paper as it is fed into the receiving tra I IG. 2 is a perspective view of the receiving tray, the

automatic rerolling apparatus provided therein and ad- 7 jacent portions of the machine;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic side sectional elevation of the automatic rolling apparatus and adjacent portions of the machine.

As mentioned before, diazotype copying machines are widely used for making copies or duplicates of translucent originals such as tracings. Normally, the originals are cut sheets and the receiving trays are designed to accommodate these as they are deposited. However, quite often, the original tracings are very lengthy, for example, ten feet long or more, and stored in roll form.

In the prior art machines such long original tracing must be hand rolled by the operator as it reaches the receiving tray. By means of the apparatus disclosed herein, original tracings of any length which come in roll form will be automatically rerolled as they fall into the receiving tray.

Referring to the drawings, in the schematic sectional View of FIG. 1, a housing 10 of the machine is shown merely in outline to indicate that the components are supported and arranged in a housing which surrounds all the working parts. The various controls for the operation of the machine and the power drive are not shown for the sake of simplicity of illustration since these are well known in the art, and this invention is not concerned with these components.

The printer or light exposing portion of the apparatus includes a cylinder 11 of translucent material, preferably glass, which is rotatably supported in any convenient manner. The printing cylinder 11 includes a light source 13 and a reflector 15. A plurality of porous, endless conveyor belts 16 are arranged side by side to partially en-- velop the cylinder 11 and are suitably guided by a plurality of rollers 17, 18, 19, 2t) and 21, so distributed that sheet material fed into the machine over a feed board .22 will pass over the surface of the cylinder 11, and thereafter, he guided to enter the separator and developer portions of the machine. Roller 21 may be utilized as the driving element of the belts 16 by means of a suitable motor, not shown.

The separator section of the machine consists of a vacuum chamber 24 for the print material and a similar chamber 25 for the original tracing. These produce a suction so that the material adheres to the porous belts which pass over the respective wall of the chambers. In the tracing separator assembly the vacuum chamber 25 has an auxiliary endless conveyor belt 27 arranged to pass over the wall thereof, by means of the drive roller 2-3 and idler rollers 2) and 30. A guide roller 31 is provided disposed above the belt 27 so as to feed the tracing which adheres to the belt 27 toward the receiving tray 33.

Above the separating section of the machine there is provided a developing tank 40 through which the print is fed by a plurality of feed rollers such as rollers 41 and 42. Within the developing tank 40 there is provided a tray 43 containing aqueous ammonia which is heated to produce ammonia vapors for the required chemical reaction of the exposed sensitized material which is passing through the developing tank. The sensitized material is fed out of the developing tank 40 between outfeed rollers 45 and 46 and is directed to deflecting member 47 so as to be deposited in either the front receiving tray 48 or the back tray 48.

The portion of the apparatus with which the subject invention is concerned resides in the construction of the tray 33 for receiving the original tracing. An infeed belt 52 is provided just inside the housing 10 adjacent the feed board 22 and is trained around suitable rollers 53 and 54, and a drive roller 55. The belt 52 is driven in the direction of infeed movement as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and therefore, frictionally contacts and drives the original tracing O in contact with the sensitized material S up to the printing cylinder 11, see FIG. 1. Guide roller 53 depresses the upper run of belt 52 so that a portion of this upper run of the belt between rollers 54 and 53 is tangent to and in contact with a pair of automatic rewind rollers and 62. The receiving tray 33 is provided with a pair of elongated slots 64 and 66 through which the top surfaces of rollers 60 and 62 protrude, see FIG. 3. The receiving tray 33 is also provided with a curved end portion 63 below the roller 28 of the separator conveyor belt 27. The curved end portion 63 in combination with driven rewind rollers 60 and 62 acts to automatically reroll an original tracing as will now be described.

After the original 0 and the sensitized material S are fed into the machine over feed board 22, they are exposed by the printing cylinder 11, and the print separated by the separator vacuum chamber 2-4 and conveyed to be developed in developing tank 40 and fed out onto receiving tray 48 or 48. Meanwhile, the separated original material 0 is fed by separator conveyor belt 27 onto the receiving tray 33. As the original material 0 which may be a very long tracing, or the like, is fed off belt 27 as it is trained around roller 55, the leading edge of the original material 0 will fall by gravity and will strike the receiving tray 33 in the vicinity of rollers 60 and 62 which extend above the surface of receiving tray 33 through slots 64 and 66. Because the original tracing O is stored as a roll it will tend to curve backwards as it falls into tray 33. Rollers 60 and 62 have a friction surface and are driven in the direction of the arrows shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by means of frictional contact with infeed belt 52 and, therefore, tend to force the original tracing 0 into the curved end stop 63 of the tray 33. As more of the original tracing O is fed downward, rollers 60 and 62 continue to act on the outer surface of the original and together with the curved end 63 continue to force the original into a roll. This action continues until the original tracing is completely rolled up without any necessity for handling by the operator except for removing the roll to place it back in storage.

As can be seen from the foregoing, the subject invention will solve one of the major problems in the duplicating industry, which has been the proper handling of original tracings after being printed in a diazotype machine. By the action of the automatic reroll device, the original after being separated, is automatically rolled back into a roll eliminating any necessity for an operator to manually accomplish this operation. Further, by merely changing the receiving tray and adding the reroll rollers to a conventional machine, automatic reroll may be provided.

The structural arrangement shown is by way of example and will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that certain modifications may be made as to the mechanical assembly within the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a photoprinting apparatus utilizing infeed conveyor belts for transporting an original sheet material in contact with a sensitized sheet material for exposure, and having means for separating said original from said sensitized material after exposure, the improvement which comprises; an original receiving tray having a curved endwall, outfeed roller means for transporting said original sheet into said tray, said wall imparting an initial curvature to said sheet, and reroll roller means engaging said original in said tray, said reroll means being driven in the direction for constraining said original to follow the curvature of said wall and thereby roll up in said tray.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said reroll roller means are so positioned as to engage the surface of said infeed conveyor belt and to be driven by said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A PHOTOPRINTING APPARATUS UTILIZING INFEED CONVEYOR BELTS FOR TRANSPORTING AN ORIGINAL SHEET MATERIAL IN CONTACT TIWH A SENSITIZED SHEET MATERIAL FOR EXPOSURE, AND HAVING MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID ORIGINAL FROM SAID SENSITIZED MATERIAL AFTER EXPOSURE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES; AN ORIGINAL RECEIVING TRAY HAVING A CURVED ENDWALL, OUTFEED ROLLER MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING SAID ORIGINAL SHEEET INTON SAID TRAY, SAID WALL IMPARTING AN INITIAL CURVATURE TO SAID SHEET, AND REROLL ROLLER MEANS ENGAGING SAID ORIGINAL IN SAID TRAY, SAID REROLL MEANS BEING DRIVEN IN THE FIRECTION FOR CONSTRAINING SAID ORIGINAL TO FOLLOW THE CURVATURE OF SAID WALL AND THEREBY ROLL UP IN SAID TRAY. 